Here it is--the highlight of the summer. We went to Rome, Italy, to celebrate Don's birthday, and this was the trip of a lifetime! Sorry for the delay in getting the pictures up...the following is the digital version of a book I made, and I wanted the book to come out first. :O)
We arrived in Italy mid-afternoon on July 2nd and drove straight to the glorious Torretta de Massimi.
The villa and tower exceeded our expectations, and the scenery was breathtaking, but the resident terrier “Skipper” and his charismatic master quickly stole the show. Harry captured Skipper’s patient spirit:
On our first full day in Rome, we toured the Colosseum. We split into two groups for our guided tour...one group with the younger kids (with me and Nana as chaperones) and the other group with the rest of the adults and Harry. Our tour guide was very good at keeping everyone interested. Nana and I were amazed by what Charlie and G already knew! Gregory explained how the Colosseum, formerly the “Flavian Amphitheater,” was built to gain back the trust and respect of the people after Nero’s egomaniacal rule. The name “Colosseum” comes from the colossus of Nero that used to tower over a nearby man-made lake.
Gregory photographed many of the details at the Colosseum: an entrance arch marked with a number that would have corresponded to ticket numbers, an old staircase, one of many holes cut during the Middle Ages to plunder the valuable iron clamps that the Romans used to hold bricks together.
Gregory was fascinated by the system of pulleys and trap doors under the Colosseum floor. We were all interested to learn that the Romans made dice that look exactly like our own, and that they played many games and even cooked meals while watching the gladiator shows.
Andy and Harry loved thinking about what it might have been like to live under an archway at the Colosseum after the fall of Rome, when people had no idea of how spectacular the Colosseum used to be.
Harry photographed many of the archways at the Colosseum:
I gave all of the boys little plastic "Smiley Guys" to photograph throughout Rome. G's Smiley Guy made his debut at the Colosseum:
After touring the Colosseum, we walked along the Via dei Fori Imperiali to Trajan’s market. The entire route was adorned with dramatic ruins and statues. Amazing “umbrella pines” towered above us.
We stopped to admire the Trajan market and Trajan’s column. The statue on top of the column used to be of Trajan himself, but is now a statue of St. Peter, facing St. Peter’s church and the Vatican. The kids loved spotting the holes in the column which serve as tiny windows to shed light on an interior spiral staircase. We wish we had been able to climb to the top!
Although the locals in Rome hate the gaudy Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (below), we found it dramatic and striking. Also, because of its distinctive horse statues, this building ended up being a landmark we could easily spot from other destinations throughout the week.
After a fun lunch out in Rome (where a few of us tried our first Italian pizza...yum!) we headed back to the villa for some swimming, croquet, computer programming, card playing, reading, resting and swimming.
When Ceci first demonstrated her “model walk” that afternoon, she had no idea that later in the week we would stumble upon an actual fashion photo shoot with real models (and very real model walks...) just a block away from the Spanish Steps.
That night we enjoyed the first of a delicious series of dinners prepared by our wonderful chef, Lori.
We began our second day by visiting the Piazza Navona with its three spectacular fountains, including the Four Rivers fountain by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Harry enjoyed many of the details of the Bernini fountain. The kids were especially interested in the human interpretations of the four rivers, particularly Plata, who was shielding his face from the heavenly light of the obelisk...or from the “horrible” design of the adjacent building!
At the Piazza Navona, the kids discovered the first of many public drinking fountains. If you could figure out how to work them, these fountains provided excellent drinking water and a great resting stop.
We walked from the Piazza Navona to the Campo dei Fiori, a large square that is a bustling produce market during the day and (as we discovered later) a fun meeting spot for young people at night.
While munching on some fresh fruit from the market at the Campo dei Fiori, Gregory took some time out to pose two Smiley Guys under the statue of Giordano Bruno.
After enjoying the market, we made our way through the beautiful streets towards the Pantheon.
We got our first look at the Pantheon from the back before we walked around front and found the more recognizable pillared entrance and impressive dome.
A gelateria near the Pantheon was an excellent rest stop...better, perhaps than the stone spheres at the nearby Piazza della Minerva--Charlie could only sit on his for a minute before it got way too hot! While the kids enjoyed their gelato, the adults were introduced to “granita,” a frozen coffee treat that quickly became a favorite.
We were always on the lookout for obelisks and columns. All of the kids loved the intricate friezes on the columns, and Charlie was especially interested in finding as many of the thirteen stolen Egyptian obelisks as possible. An obelisk of Ramses the Great adorned the small fountain outside the Pantheon (below).
We were also on the lookout for appearances of the kids' names. "Gregorius" was probably the most common, although "Cecaelia" made a few important appearances.
We had a delicious lunch outdoors. The kids had their own table, and although they sat very close to a young couple who might have preferred a more romantic setting, the kids were very polite and good-natured and enjoyed their pasta con burro.
Foxes were often hunting in this field:
A cork tree:
The resident hawk (there were also a few wild parrots...or something green that looked like parrots!):
The amazing pool:
That night, Lori taught the kids how to prepare two different kinds of fresh ravioli, and this was certainly one of the most delicious meals we had all week. Harry appreciated the artistic element of pasta making and he and Charlie took extra time to mark each of their ravioli with a recognizable design.
On the third day, we visited St. Peter’s church, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican museums.
We arrived at the Vatican in the pouring rain, but thanks to our private tour, we were able to zip past the huge line and go right inside. The rain left behind some spectacular scenery!
A sample of the amazing artwork at the museum:
Tom perfectly captured the amazing stare of a statue who still has her original inset stone eyes.
Gregory kept track of the numerous and elaborate papal crests that marked various features of the Vatican. Of special interest were Pope Urban VII’s bees and the two keys that adorned many of the crests--supposedly the heavenly keys that St. Peter passed down to each pope.
We had a wonderful tour guide who managed to weave fascinating stories into her educational tour of the art. We were mesmerized by her description of Raphael’s complex relationship with Michelangelo!
Two of our personal favorites: Euclid in Raphael’s painting Great Thinkers and Michelangelo’s heartbreaking Pieta.
All of the kids (wearing blue!) leaving St. Peter's:
On the fourth day, a private bus came to drive us to Ostia Antica. Ostia means “mouth,” and this ancient Roman port city was built at the mouth of the Tiber river. The city was probably founded around the 6th century BC and was completely rebuilt around the 2nd century AD.
Although we had a guided tour, there was a ton of exploring to do at Ostia Antica. The kids enjoyed the mill with its huge wheat grinding stones, the large theater (still being used for performances) and of course, the public toilets. We were fascinated and a bit disgusted to learn that slaves used urine to do the laundry.
The old Roman road, which used to be completely smooth with well-fitted stones:
Gregory examined the contrasting ground levels. The ground level of Ostia Antica was raised throughout its history, most notably in the rebuilding of the city in the 2nd century AD.
Different textures and bricking techniques at Ostia Antica (G):
Gregory was often exploring the depths of small spaces with his camera.
Arches at Ostia Antica (G):
Columns at Ostia Antica (H):
One of the most memorable ruins was a well-preserved tavern, complete with a bar, shelves, a sink and a painted advertisement for some of the foods that might have been favorites. Even our tour guides couldn’t agree on what the middle food in the picture (above, right) was--eggs? Mozzarella balls? Lemons? Lemonade?
Mosaics at Ostia (G):
Puck makes an appearance at Ostia...
That night Lori taught the kids how to make appetizers for our dinner with the Puccis. They made cute little ladybugs out of roasted red peppers, mozzarella balls and black olives. Yum!
On the fifth day, we set out on a walking tour of Rome that started near the impressive Trevi fountain. We all loved how this fountain seemed to grow out of the adjacent building.
Horses:
The keys!
At the Trevi fountain, all of the kids perfected the art of tossing a coin backwards over their right shoulder to ensure that they would return to Rome some day. Water bottles and thirsty mouths were filled at the connected drinking fountain. The interactive elements of this fountain made it Harry’s favorite fountain in Rome.
Harry had a great eye for detail as we walked and drove around the city. Familiar sights included the pharmacies with their neon green cross signs, the “S.P.Q.R.” mark (Senatus Populusque Romanus--“Senate and People of Rome”), pope Urban VIII’s bees and lots of tiny little cars!
After enjoying the Trevi fountain, we made our way through the streets to the Spanish Steps. Along the way, Charlie found a splatting pig ball toy that he had seen in a street vendor demonstration at the Colosseum and been hoping to see again.
Gregory and Charlie carefully counted (and re-counted) all 136 Spanish steps.
The view at the top of the steps was worth the climb, even on a very hot day. We were rewarded by another obelisk and the beautiful Trinita dei Monti church, and also some amazing views of colorful buildings and lush rooftop gardens.
As we walked from the Spanish Steps to our lunch destination, we enjoyed extravagant window displays, picturesque narrow cobbled streets, and this beautiful drinking fountain:
Lunch that day was wonderful. The restaurant offered an excellent buffet and the kids were all relaxed and happy. They chatted, played games, shared pictures, devoured their gelato and made some hilarious jokes.
On the sixth day, we were driven to the Castelli Romani district in the Alban hills. This area used to be a favorite retreat of Roman noblemen and today is well-known for its wine. Our first stop was this dramatic fountain...that was completely dry.
I found this pic online of what it looks like when it has running water:
Looking around the fountain was very fun, and there were a lot of wonderful photograph opportunities:
At the fountain, Gregory continued his investigation of small hidden spaces:
his investigation of small hidden spaces.
We had a wonderful time walking around the hilltop town of Frascati.
Our first stop in Frascati was the dried-up but picturesque Villa Torlonia fountain (previous page and above, right).
More papal crests...
A short (uphill!) drive from Frascati took us to the ruins of an ancient Roman villa. The scenery was breathtaking!
Before lunch, we took a quick detour to pose Gregory in front of St. Gregory the Great’s church in Monte Porzio Catone. There was another motive for the visit--St. Gregory the Great is thought to be the founder of the Gregorian chant.
For lunch, one of our drivers (Claudio) recommended the gorgeous Taverna dello Spuntino, tucked away on the picturesque Via Cicerone in Grottaferrata.
At the restaurant, Gregory explored an intriguing floor grate (an old well?):
After lunch, we walked a short distance down the beautiful shaded Via Cicerone to visit the Abbey of St. Mary in Grottaferrata.
Gregory noticed the letter “N” appearing again and again at the abbey, apparently in honor of St. Nilus, whose statue graces one of the courtyards. According to legend, the abbey is built at the exact spot where Mary appeared to St. Nilus and asked him to build a church in her honor.
In the evening, we got dressed up in preparation for a nice dinner out in Rome. While waiting for the cars to arrive, the kids occupied themselves with a very dressy game of "Ninja."
Before dinner, we watched a silly outdoor performance called The Seven Kings of Rome. The kids all loved it, especially the song, “S.P.Q.R.” set to the tune of “Y.M.C.A!” Very clever.
The city was beautiful at dusk!
After the show, we had a delicious dinner out. We all stayed out until 11:00! The kids did really well...it helped that after they had finished dinner, they could go running around in the adjacent piazza and look at the fountains!
On the way home, we stopped at Janiculum hill to get a view of the city at night and to see the Giuseppe Garibaldi equestrian statue:
On the seventh (and final) day, we visited Castel Sant’Angelo. Built outside the walls of Rome in 139AD, the cylindrical part of this building was originally a tomb for Hadrian. Through the years it has served as a tomb for many other Roman emperors and also as a prison, a castle, a papal fortress, and now a very fun museum!
Harry photographed one of the ten beautiful angel statues on the Ponte Sant’Angelo:
According to stories, the archangel Michael appeared to St. Gregory and drew his sword to signal the end of the plague. This marble angel holding a sword was placed atop Castel Sant’Angelo to honor St. Michael.
Now an iron version of the angel has taken its place:
At Castel Sant’Angelo, Gregory snapped the picture on the left of the marble statue of St. Michael through an iron grille:
The picture he took is reminiscent of a detail from the Raphael painting Deliverance of St. Peter, which we saw at the Vatican:
Details at Castel Sant’Angelo (G):
One of many holes in the ceiling, used to pour hot oil on unfortunate intruders:
A well:
Lord Voldemort?
Gregory found several interesting small spaces at Castel Sant’Angelo:
The view at the top of Castel Sant’Angelo was a great review of many of the sights from earlier in the week. We could see see the Pantheon dome, the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II and maybe even the Colosseum (?) from this view.
Cecilia inspects a pigeon (E), while Gregory photographs the pigeon (G):
After Castel Sant’Angelo, we visited the impressive Basilica of St. John Lateran, the church of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). The colossal statues of the apostles in this church were great, especially the statue of Matthew reading a book (Tom):
The Basilica was magnificent, but the heat of the afternoon demanded a shady gelato break before we headed out in the direction of what was to be our favorite church of the day, the beautiful Santa Cecilia in Trastavere.
Not only was St. Cecilia’s a gorgeous little church, but it was open during siesta hours, was filled with fresh flowers from a recent wedding, and the nuns came out and began to sing while we were visiting!
We ate lunch right around the corner from St. Cecilia’s church. Although communicating what we wanted to order was a bit of a good-spirited challenge, the food at this restaurant was beautifully presented and very tasty. Harry ordered gnocchi in squid ink sauce and ate the entire serving, despite the slightly off-putting color.
Because this was our last day to explore Rome, the temptation was to see just one more thing before we headed back to the villa. We went to the Janiculum hill to take in the panoramic view of Rome and admire the Giuseppe Garibaldi equestrian statue again. This was a great final outing, but we were all exhausted!
The villa welcomed us back to a perfect final evening, complete with yet another amazing Lori-cooked meal with a grande finale of hand-dipped chocolate-covered gelato and small treats for the kids.
Gregory found a rainbow among the olive trees and lavender at the villa...Rome itself is clearly the pot of gold, for all of the amazing memories, beautiful art, freshly-cooked food, breathtaking scenery, touchable history and fascinating stories we now have to treasure.
